Unofficial and unauthoritative opinion on LDS, Latter-Day Saint, or Mormon Doctrine concerning the Nature of God, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Plan of Salvation, the Apostasy and Restoration, and Priesthood Authority.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

The following is excerpts from Elder Bednar's talk in last month's General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints entitled "Watching with all Perseverance." Elder Bednar a modern day Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ opens his talk by reviewing a list of temporal and spiritual warnings in everyday life and in the scriptures. He tells of Lehi in the Book of Mormon being warned by the Spirit to leave Jerusalem and Noah to build the Ark. Elder Bedar invites us to 1. read and talk about the Book of Mormon 2. spontaneously share testimony of the truth 3. learn to act and not be acted upon.

Elder Bednar then says:

"Consider the language of the Lord in the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom: “In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation” (D&C 89:4)." Spiritual warnings should lead to increasingly vigilant watching. You and I live in “a day of warning” (D&C 63:58). And because we have been and will be warned, we need to be, as the Apostle Paul admonished, “watching . . . with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18 )."

Elder Bednar closes his remarks by testifying and inviting:

"I bear witness that parents who consistently read and talk about the Book of Mormon with their children, who share testimony spontaneously with their children, and who invite children as gospel learners to act and not merely be acted upon will be blessed with eyes that can see afar off (see Moses 6:27) and with ears that can hear the sound of the trumpet (see Ezekiel 33:2–16). The spiritual discernment and inspiration you will receive from the combination of these three holy habits will enable you to stand as watchmen on the tower for your families—“watching . . . with all perseverance” (Ephesians 6:18)—to the blessing of your immediate family and your future posterity. I so promise and testify in the sacred name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen."

For me the trumpets are sounding. With all the calamities that are now and very shortly to occur I have doubled by food storage, and put extra effort into my garden this year. II have some savings set aside and I am diversifying the sources of my income. I am also switching job locations so I don't have to cross state lines. When all the tribulation and wrath gets poured out, I hope I will have acted before hand and will not merely be acted upon or react. I hope many of us will not end up being statistics.

I hope many of us can be like the people at the waters of Mormon who were warned ahead of time about the armies of King Noah who were sent out against them to slay them. I hope many of us can be like the people of Alma in the city of Helam that although great hardships and labors were placed upon their backs, they turned to the Lord Jesus Christ who made those burdens light unto them such that they didn't feel them. i hope that many of us can be like the people of Alma that put their faith in Jesus Christ such that not long afterwards, the Lord delivered them out of bondage.

Elder Packer seems to be hearing the sound of the trumpet when he said in April Conference: " We have this priesthood power, and we should all be prepared to use it properly. Current increases in natural disasters and financial challenges show that we will need this power even more in the future than in the past. Many scriptures teach that the servants of the Lord “shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover” (Mark 16:18). Miracles happen when the authority of the priesthood is used to bless the sick. I have experienced these miracles."

When the Bible and Revelation talks about the 7 Trumpets and 7 Vials of Wrath, some people believe that these prophecies have had multiple fulfillment throughout history. The 7 Trumpets had to do with what corrupt government did to the people, and the 7 Vials of Wrath had to do with what God did in repayment. I was hoping that 1/2 hour of silence would give us 21 years. But God seems to be hastening things maybe.

For example. One fulfillment or type of the antichrist, tribulation, and wrath in Matt 24 is Titus. General Titus (little horn) was the son of the 10th Emperor (10 horns) of the Roman Empire (4th Beast). General Titus destroyed the temple, and crucified tens of thousands of Jews on the walls of the city of Jerusalem. When Titus became Emperor, he continued the persecution of the Christians and outlawed the daily sacrifice in the Roman Empire. Not long after, Rome was hit by several natural disasters. Mount Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, there was another fire in Rome, a plague, and a drought. Finally Titus suffered a mysterious death; probably being poisoned by his brother Domitian.

Another possible fulfillment of the 7 Trumpets has to do with the fall of the Roman Empire. In addition to declining morals and corruption, Rome was economically bankrupt. They had sent much of their gold over to the orient in exchange for luxuries. Low on gold, Rome didn't have enough to put into their own currency. This led to a devaluation and contraction of the money supply. Contraction of the money supply and cheap slave labor led to greater unemployment. Greater unemployment led to more and more people relying upon government welfare. Rome put what money they had to fund the games to keep the unemployed mobs amused and pacified. In this weakened economic condition, the Roman Empire was vulnerable to attack.

The first trumpet had to do with hail fire and destruction burning up all the green grass and 1/3 of the trees. Some associate hail with war as Job does in Job 38:22 and the invasion of Rome by Alaric the Visigoth and the Goths by land. The second trumpet speaks of a burning mountain falling into the sea and the water turning to blood, 1/3 fish dying, and 1/3 shipping being destroyed. Some associate this with the attack of the Vandals by sea by way of Carthage. The 3rd Trumpet speaks of a star falling from heaven and poisoning 1/3 part of the rivers and streams. Some associate this with Attila the Hun's attack of the Roman Empire. Attila the Hun conquered by following the river valleys. The 4th Trumpet speaks of darkening the 1/3 part of the sun, moon, and stars. These same people associate this with the insurrection of German Barbarians who infiltrated and lived in the Roman Empire led by Odoacer who was an agent of Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno. The consequence of Odoacer's insurrection was a fracturing of the entire Western Empire into separate tribes.

The 5th Trumpet speaks of locusts which many believe speaks of the rise of the Arab Muslims which conquered Sephardic Jews and Arian Christians in Spain, North Africa, and destroyed the Christian capital of Alexandria and Heliopolis. I am told the Hebrew word for locust and Arab are very similar. Arab Muslims did not kill civilian Christians and Jews outright. They gave them a choice to convert to Islam or be a slave. If they choose slavery, their wives were taken and placed in harems. The 6th Trumpet speaks of the Euphrates overflowing and an Eastern Army killing 1/3 of men. Some believe this refers to the transfer of the Muslim Caliphate to Iraq and the rise of the Ottoman Turks. Dressed in fire, Jacinthe, and brimstone matches the Turkish uniform colors of red, blue and yellow-orange. The horses with mouths like lions that spew fire and brimstone with the power being in their tails refers to the Ottoman Turks use of gunpower, artillery,and cannons. The power in the tail was John likely describing the fuse and gunpowder. The Turks were successful in destroying the other Christian capitals of Jerusalem, Antioch and finally Constantinople leaving Rome the supreme ruler over all Christianity.

The 7 vials of wrath the occur during the sounding of the 7th Trumpet, likely refer to the many judgments of God that were poured during the Dark Ages.

Now what about the Last Days? I am not the only one who is asking if this BP Gulf Oil Spill is not a modern fulfillment of the 2nd Trumpet spoken of in Revelations. Since the American Empire is an Empire of Economy and not Land, some think that the 1st Trumpet would refer to the recent economic war which has brought upon the western world a great Economic Depression, banking failures, unempoloyment, and a dollar on the verge of collapse. The second trumpet refers to a mountain of fire being thrust into the sea turning the sea to blood, and killing 1/3 of the creatures of the sea, and 1/3 the ships or shipping. I am not the only one watching the 200,000 barrels/day of oil leak into the gulf and the toxic Corexit being sprayed thinking this accident is going to have major negative impacts. Who knows how a couple of hurricanes this summer will mix things up. The limit on off-shore drilling was 22,000ft and that BP well was deliberately drilled to at least 30,000ft.

If the first and second trumpets are sounding, then what about the third, fourth and fifth? The third trumpet has to do with a star falling from heaven and poisoning 1/3 the rivers and streams. I learned on the playground in 1986 that "Chernobyl" was the Russian word for "Wormwood." Could the next trumpet have to do with something nuclear? The Federal Government and Pres Obama himself at the UN nuclear summit warned us about the possibility of nuclear devices being set off in several US cities. This scenario has already been featured in a made for TV movie called "The Day After" where Kansas City gets obliterated. Were the globalists who own ABC and who produced the movie trying to tell us something? Kansas City just so happens to be the major North American Hub for the NAFTA superhighway. They had a very difficult time in Texas imposing imminent domain. If a nuclear device or dirty bomb was set off anywhere in the Missouri/Mississippi watershed, all the water downstream would be contaminated. Being LDS, we shouldn't forget Joseph Smith's warning to Alexander Donovan nor the "Yellow Dog" prophecy concerning Missouri. (Graham W. Doxey, “Missouri Myths,” Ensign, Apr 1979, 64). By the way, the movie depicts Kansas City getting nuked on Saturday the 16th. That would be in October this year.

Did I mention that FEMA has purchased 500,000 plastic grave liners which are sitting in fields in Madison and Conyers, GA as well as additional liners in Indiana. The US government is also building several enormous graveyards in Houston, TX, Phoenix, AZ, Southern California, and Indiana. In each of these locations are huge fields that have been filled with rows and rows of rectangular concrete boxes, just bigger than the plastic liners in Georgia, that are being placed side-by-side and then buried. That begs the question of what kind of catastrophe or war our government is preparing for.

The fourth trumpet may have to do with the fulfillment of Christ's warning to the Gentiles in 3 Nephi 20:16. Could there be a similar insurrection in this country like there was in the Roman Empire with Odoacer? As far as the fifth and sixth trumpets go, and the 7 vials of wrath following, I have no idea who the locusts will be this time.

But I am concerned that Pres. Obama has appointed himself to chair the UN security council without Senate approval which is against the Constitution Article 1, section 9. I am concerned about the recent escalation in rhetoric and violence between North and South Korea and between Israel and Iran and Venezuela and the US. Hugo Chavez together with Iran has been selling oil in Euros and Yuan directly to China without China first having to buy dollars according to the Petro-Dollar system. The Petro-Dollar System which is supported by Saudi Arabia is the only thing that supports the huge US deficits and debt. If China can buy oil in Yuan, it will have no need to purchase US T-Bills. Currently, the only people buying US T-Bills are banks, the FED. This was exactly the reason the US went to war against Iran. Because the US Dollar is off the gold standard, if China and India can get oil without buying dollars, the dollar and the country will go bust.

The world is being set up to enter into WW3. If you read Albert Pike letter on WW3, the 3 Catholic Secrets of Fatima, and the Muslim prophecies about the coming of the Dijjal and the Mahdi, they all seem to be coming about. And all thats bad because all these bring the nations into conflict.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Eph. 6: 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Titus 3: 1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, and magistrates but we are warned against spiritual wickedness in high places (occultism) as well as conspiring men.

D&C 88: 77-81 And I give unto you a commandment that you shall teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom.Teach ye diligently and my grace shall attend you, that you may be instructed more perfectly in theory, in principle, in doctrine, in the law of the gospel, in all things that pertain unto the kingdom of God, that are expedient for you to understand; Of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad; the wars and the perplexities of the nations, and the judgments which are on the land; and a knowledge also of countries and of kingdoms— That ye may be prepared in all things when I shall send you again to magnify the calling whereunto I have called you, and the mission with which I have commissioned you. Behold, I sent you out to testify and warn the people, and it becometh every man who hath been warned to warn his neighbor.

God calls us to understand the true doctrine of Christ but also wars and the perplexities of the nations.

D&C 29: 8 Wherefore the decree hath gone forth from the Father that they shall be gathered in unto one place upon the face of this land, to prepare their hearts and be prepared in all things against the day when tribulation and desolation are sent forth upon the wicked.

D&C 54: 10 And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls. Even so. Amen.

D&C 78: 14 That through my providence, notwithstanding the tribulation which shall descend upon you, that the church may stand independent above all other creatures beneath the celestial world;Christians need to be patient in affliction, stand in holy places, and independent and free from indebtedness which is bondage.

D&C 23-26 Verily, verily, I say unto you, darkness covereth the earth, and gross darkness the minds of the people, and all flesh has become corrupt before my face. Behold, vengeance cometh speedily upon the inhabitants of the earth, a day of wrath, a day of burning, a day of desolation, of weeping, of mourning, and of lamentation; and as a whirlwind it shall come upon all the face of the earth, saith the Lord. And upon my house shall it begin, and from my house shall it go forth, saith the Lord; First among those among you, saith the Lord, who have professed to know my name and have not known me, and have blasphemed against me in the midst of my house, saith the Lord.

The Tribulation will begin in America and upon the American Empire which the Lord calls "His house."

2 Ne. 25: 1,7-8 Now I, Nephi, do speak somewhat concerning the words which I have written, which have been spoken by the mouth of Isaiah. . . But behold, I proceed with mine own prophecy, according to my plainness; in the which I know that no man can err; nevertheless, in the days that the prophecies of Isaiah shall be fulfilled men shall know of a surety, at the times when they shall come to pass. for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them; wherefore, for their good have I written them.Christians will understand the prophecies of Isaiah and also John in the day that they are fulfilled.

D&C 132: 13 And everything that is in the world, whether it be ordained of men, by thrones, or principalities, or powers, or things of name, whatsoever they may be, that are not by me or by my word, saith the Lord, shall be thrown down, and shall not remain after men are dead, neither in nor after the resurrection, saith the Lord your God.

The Constitution and government by a constitutional republic is ordained and inspired by God and will remain upon the land forever. But titles of aristocracy will not remain. The United States is not a democracy. Democracy is tyranny by the majority. Democracy is two wolves and one sheep voting on what's for dinner. And the majority can be easily swayed by propaganda. But America isn't a monarchy, oligarchy, or ruled by an aristocracy. Laman and Lemuel believed that the right to rule was theirs based solely on who they were (the oldest). That is how aristocrats think. But in a constitutional republic, the people choose leaders who have demonstrated lives of virtue like Nephi. And if power corrupts our leaders, they can be replaced without the shedding of blood.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The following is not LDS Doctrine. See Brainbender.blogspot.com for more information and links on the BP Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill. Is the Gulf Oil Spill the 2nd Trumpet?

Seven SealsJoseph Smith asked God the meaning of the 7 Seals in Revelation. God explained that the 7 Seals represented the things revealed during each 1000 year period since the world's existence or since the creation of man on the Earth. Seal 1 had to do with conquest as humans spread out over the Earth. Seal 2 involved war as humans fought over contested lands. While there was still free land available it was probably easier to just move into unclaimed areas than go to war over land. Seal 3 involved the invention of money which probably refers to the Phoenician invention of the Silver Shekel of Tyre. Seal 4 speaks of plague. Money enabled man to live in cities. However, city living leads to poor sanitation and more risk of disease. Seal 5 refers to the Christian Martyrs and the death of Christ. Seal 6 mentions the Sun, Moon, and Stars being darkened which refers to the Dark Ages and the Great Apostasy. It also mentions earthquakes. Earthquakes have always occurred but became more terrible after the discovery of concrete. Seal 7 opens with silence for a 1/2 hour and then describes the sounding of 7 Trumpets. If Adam lived 4000 BC then Seal 7 would have opened around 2000 AD. we are in the days of the 7th Seal and the Trumpets maybe beginning to sound.

Seven TrumpetsWhat are the Trumpets. The Trumpets represent the tribulation that the corrupt political, economic and religious system of the world inflicts upon the people. Types of the tribulation are the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by Titus who burned the temple and crucified thousands of Jews on the walls of the city. The wrath would refer to the judgments of God upon Titus and Rome thereafter which involved the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, fire, drought, plague, and an early death just 2 years after becoming Emperor.

Another fulfillment of the 7 trumpets could refer to the fall of the Roman Empire. In addition to declining morals and corruption, Rome was economically bankrupt. They had sent much of their gold over to the orient in exchange for luxuries. Low on gold, Rome didn't have enough to put into their own currency. This led to a devaluation and contraction of the money supply. Contraction of the money supply and cheap slave labor led to greater unemployment. Greater unemployment led to more and more people relying upon government welfare. Rome put what money they had to fund the games to keep the unemployed mobs amused and pacified.

Rome was first invaded by the Goths by land, and then the Vandals by sea. Then they were hit by Attila the Hun who conquered following the river valleys. Next the Arab Muslims arose and slaughtered millions of non-Roman Catholic Christians and Sephardic Jews. The Ottoman Turks and Arab Muslims continued their conquest of Christian and Jews until all the rival Christians capitals of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople were destroyed. God's judgment and wrath upon Europe and Rome were the Plagues associated with the Dark Ages.

Today, in the Last Days the prophecy of the 7 Trumpets will be fulfilled yet again. History repeats itself. That is what makes the Bible so universal is that themes repeat themselves over and over again on both the global as well as the individual scale. Today, I was thinking upon the difficulty that our nation is already experiencing and I was wondering if the Trumpets are not already sounding.

First Trumpet - Hail and Fire Destruction of all the grass and 1/3 of trees (Rev 8:7).Job speaks of treasures of hail and snow and then equates that with the day of battle and war (Job 38:22). The first trumpet in the fall of the Roman Empire was invasion by land by the Goths. Because the American Empire is an Economic empire, our first trumpet would involve an economic war designed to devaluate currencies and bankrupt nations. Trees and grass refer to rich and poor nations.First Trumpet = Financial Crisis?

Second Trumpet - Meteor falls into the Ocean destroying 1/3 of ships and sea life (Rev :8-9).The second trumpet in the Fall of the Pax Romana involved invasion by sea by the Vandals. We have just likely been attacked by sea as millions of gallons of crude oil are currently gushing from a sabotaged oil drilling platform into the Gulf of Mexico. I will not be surprised when we are told the spill is much worse then previously reported. Time will only tell the consequences of that much oil spilled in the Gulf which affects 1/3 part of the US coastline. All that oil in the water is consuming all the oxygen which will destroy all sea life in the Gulf of Mexico. I have no idea what kind of an impact this much oil will have on the US coastline when all this oil reaches shore. Could this spill be so big that it affects the food chain, migratory birds, etc.Second Trumpet = Gulf Oil Spill?

Third Trumpet - Wormwood falls from the Heavens causing fresh water to become bitter (Rev 8:10-11).We have been warned by our government about the potential threat of Iran or some other terrorist group of detonating a nuclear bomb on US soil. President Obama warned us during his UN nuclear summit earlier this year. The US government is currently conducting drills this month (NLE 2o10) to prepare for just such a scenario. Alex Jones, a talk radio host from Austin TX, has also taken note of the warnings by our government. Alex Jones is concerned with the possibility of several simultaneous devices being detonated in several US cities as a pretext to go to war with Iran. Alex Jones and Bill Cooper in TX both warned of 911 as well. William Cooper was mysteriously killed after being first to warn of a 911-style attack (see 3Ne 6:23).

We know that some involved with the monolithic conspiracy want the US to go to war with Iran. According to the prophecy in Dan 8 that the goat with the single horn will strike and kill the ram with the two horns which represent Media (Iraq) and Persia (Iran). Then Daniel says the horn of the goat will be cut down. Now this prophecy we are told specifically by Daniel applies to Alexander the Great. After Alexander the Great's death, the Greek Empire was divided into four parts. Some people believe this prophecy foretells that America will eventually be drawn into war against Iran. The trigger as Alex Jones and other have said, would be some kind of 911 false flag event on US soil. Just like Iraq, if Iran seeks to trade oil in Euros, then the US will feel compelled to prevent Iran from violating the Petro-Dollar system which is the only thing holding up the US dollar. Most people don't understand that if any country desires to import any oil from any other country, they can only buy that oil using US Dollars. Now that the US Dollar is off the gold standard, the Petro-Dollar System is the only thing holding up the near bankrupt US Economy.

Many Bible Christians are aware that "wormwood" in Russian is "Chernobyl." Therefore, many Bible readers have associated this trumpet with a nuclear bomb being detonated within the US. The main candidate site for this is Kansas City, MO. This is to be the hub of the the NAFTA superhighway from Canada to Mexico. Such an event would clear the way for the completion of this NWO project. The US has at least 500,000 FEMA grave liners sitting in fields in both Madison and Conyers, GA as well as other sites in Indiana that have been identified on Google Earth. Also, the US has finished several mass grave sites in California, Indian, Arizona, and Texas. I don't believe our government builds anything that big that it doesn't eventually plan on using.

But another correlation with scripture would be the events effect on fresh water in America. If a nuclear device or dirty bomb were detonated anywhere in the Missouri/Mississippi River watershed areas, all waters downstream would be contaminated with radioactivity. Farmers who depend on that water would not be able to use it for farming.

Could there be another fulfillment of prophecy by Joseph Smith about the land of Missouri? (Graham W. Doxey, “Missouri Myths,” Ensign, Apr 1979, 64). Joseph Smith was visiting a great friend to the LDS church, Gen. Alexander Donovan, at his office when a man came to repay a legal bill with a deed to land in Jackson County. Joseph Smith told Donovan not to accept the deed because, "God’s wrath hangs over Jackson County … and you will live to see the day when it will be visited by fire and sword. The fields and farms and houses will be destroyed, and only the chimneys will be left to mark the desolation." That prophecy was fulfilled following the Civil War (See Comprehensive History of the Church, 1:538–59).

Heber C. Kimball may have also made a statement with regard to Missouri. Amanda H. Wilcox in Salt Lake City in May 1868 reported him as saying, "The western boundries of the State of Missouri will be swept so clean of its inhabitants that, as President Young tells us, when we return to that place, ‘There will not be left so much as a yellow dog to wag his tail.’ ” (Prophetic Sayings of Heber C. Kimball to Sister Amanda H. Wilcox, n.p., n.d., p. 6.)

Fourth Trumpet - Darkening of a third of the sun, moon, and stars (Rev. 8:12).If this has any relation to what happened in Rome, then this might refer to Martial Law being imposed in the US and the fracturing of the US into regions. During Roman times Germanic Barbarians were allowed to infiltrate and then they were used by a faction in the government to break up the Empire.

Fifth Trumpet - (Woe #1) Locusts from the Bottomless Pit (Rev 9:1-10).I am not sure who will be the locusts this time. In the Roman Times, this may have referred to the Arabs and Ottomans that conquered Non-Catholic Christians and Sephardic Jews in Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East. Christ warns in The Book of Mormon about the remnant of the seed of Jacob being among us. Could this refer to the large Hispanic population in America that if incited could simply walk off the job and cause a breakdown of society?

3 Ne 20:15-16 And I say unto you, that if the Gentiles do not repent after the blesssing which they shall receive, after they have scattered my people—Then shall ye, who are a remnant of the house of Jacob, go forth among them; and ye shall be in the midst of them who shall be many; and ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest, and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep, who, if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.

Sixth Trumpet - (Woe #2) Eastern army of 200,000,000 men kill 1/3 of mankind This likely refers to Armageddon and most of us are familiar with what will happen there. 2 Witnesses who prophecy will call down Moses in Egypt type plagues to protect the city of Jerusalem from being taken by the invading armies. The 2 witnesses will finally be overcome, but resurrect on the 3rd day. Christ will split the Mount of Olives and save the remnant of Jews who will convert to Christianity when they behold their Savior and Redeemer and recognize that He is Jesus Christ.

We often joke sarcastically about having a difficult time reading the Old Testament because of all the genealogy and "Begat" verses. I was watching a YouTube video that other day that explained a wonderful hidden message and prophecy about the coming of Christ and His mission. It turns out that the Begats are not so boring after all. Genesis lists the genealogy of Noah this way:

Sunday, May 16, 2010

The following is not LDS Doctrine. I just thought it was interesting. I was watching some YouTube videos and I was fascinated at an amazing interpretation of the 7 trumpets in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. While these scriptures likely also apply to the Last Days, this particular evangelical Christian was explaining how the 7 trumpets could be giving specific details about the fall of the Roman Empire.

1st Trumpet- Rev 8:6-7 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

The first trumpet or Judgment upon the Roman Empire prophecies hail or war (Job 38:22-23). Hail is used as a symbol of war earlier in the Bible. The first group to attack and overrun the Roman Empire are the Goths. The result of the Goths is that Rome withdrew their armies from Germany and Great Britain allowing the Anglo-Saxons to conquer it.

2nd Trumpet- Rev 8:8-9 And the second angel sounded, and as it were great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.

The second trumpet or judgment upon the Roman Empire tells of the 2nd group to attack the Roman Empire. The Vandals came from the seas to attack the Roman Empire. The Vandals used naval power to conquer Northern Africa, many Mediterranean island nations, and even ransacked and "vandalized" Rome. Vandals were Germanic but they staged most of their successful naval attacks on Rome from Carthage after taking North Africa

3rd Trumpet- Rev 8:10-11 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.

The third trumpet tells of Atilla the Hun and Barbarians coming from Mongolia to attack the Roman Empire. Atilla the Hun split up the Goths into the Visigoths in Spain and the Ostrogoths in Germany. Atilla conquest followed the rivers and while he avoided Rome and Constantinople, His empire reached as far as Gaul or modern day France. Waters refer to peoples and tribes (Isa 48:1, Rev 17:15). Atilla extorted money from the Roman Empire for peace.

4th Trumpet- Rev 8:12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

The Western portion of the Roman Empire fell when the last Emperor Romulus Augustus was removed by federated Germanic troops led by Odoacer from within the Roman army rather than by foreign troops. The Roman Empire had been increasingly populated and governed by Germanic peoples long before. The Western Roman Empire never was a cohesive whole ever again and was broken up into tribes comprised by Franks, Goths, and Huns. The Book of Mormon and others warning voices (Alex Jones and Knights of Malta) have been warning that Mexicans and/or UN troops have been allowed into the United States and may be used by FEMA to impose martial law resulting in the fracturing of America in the same way Germans were used to fracture Rome.

4th Trumpet- Rev 9:3 And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

Locusts refers to the rise of the Arabs and Islam out of North Africa. The Arab conquest first took North Africa (1/3 part of the Empire). The Arabs had hair like women (long hair on top) but faces like men (long beards). They wore golden crowns or turbans, they used Arabian horse calvary, used iron chain mail, and were first to use gunpowder and artillery cannon decorated with a mouth of a lion and lit with by the fuse in the tail. The Arabs did not slash and burn cities in their conquest and gave Christians the choice of freedom if they converted to Islam or slavery if they remained Christian. Christian wives were sent to harems and children were raised in Islam. John makes it clear that the religion of Islam is of Satanic origin.

Rev 9:13-14 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound ain the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

The new Islamic capital or Caliphate shifted to Iraq and incorporated the Turks. Turks wore uniforms of red, blue, and yellow. Turkish armies are organized in units of 10,000. The Arabs finally destroyed Constantinople in 1453 and the last third of Eastern Roman Empire only after the Eastern Orthodox Church went back to worshiping icons after the iconoclast period. Emperor Irene called for the 2nd Ecumenical Council of Nicea and re-introduced Babylonian and pagan worship in Eastern Orthodox religion. The Turks were the first to use gun powder and artillary cannon that were decorated with lion heads and were lit with a fuse in the end or tail. Turks continued on conquering Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania and Serbia but stopped in Catholic Vienna. Islam extended in Spain until turned back by the Catholic Franks and had an agreement to not go against Rome. After the fall of Constantinople fell, learned men with their scriptures and other texts were scattered all throughout Europe triggering the Renaissances and Reformation.

Rev 11:7 But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets. And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

The last and 7th Trumpet involves the pouring out the 7 vials of God's wrath against Rome itself. While the trumpets involved the tribulation by Rome upon the evangelical Christians and Sephardic Jews, the 7 vials of wrath involve judgments upon those that initially inflicted the tribulation. According to the video, some of the vials had to do with the French Revolution and Reign of Terror after France persecuted and massacred the Huguenots. Comparatively, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Rome and Titus could be a type of the Tribulation while the volcano (Vesuvius) which destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, fire, plague, drought and then an early death would represent the judgments and wrath of God upon Titus.

Recently, I was pondering about the lesson of Adam and Eve and I realized a few the important lessons for our day in the story. Scripture teaches us that "the glory of God is intelligence or in other words light and truth." We know from scripture that Omnipotence is one of the supreme characteristics of God and we are also taught in scripture that perfect knowledge is both a promise and requirement of Eternal Life. Joseph Smith taught that "man cannot be saved in ignorance" and that "A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge". Jesus Christ promised that "the truth would make us free." Therefore, the quest for true knowledge must be a major focus of any true disciple of Jesus Christ.

When Adam and Eve are tempted to Eat the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve did not yet know good from evil. Knowing this, the serpent mocks their ignorance and then promises them greater knowledge if they would follow him and partake of the forbidden fruit. I am sure Adam and Eve felt very insecure and self-conscious about their ignorance. But instead of seeking knowledge as Nephi did by inquiring of the Lord, Adam and Eve made the mistake of going to the wrong source for greater knowledge. In the Book of Mormon, after Lehi told his family about the Vision of the Tree of Life, Laman and Lemuel sought to understand the vision by contending and debating the issues. In contrast, Nephi who was also shown the same vision, simply asked his brethren "Have ye inquired of the Lord?"

After Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, Satan encouraged them to attempt to hide what they have done from God. I would define a secret combination as the vain attempt to commit sin in secret. Therefore, in a way, this first transgression could also be seen as the first secret combination. In fact, God tells us in the Book of Mormon that God has forbidden us from entering into secret combinations from the beginning of man. Isaiah prophecies that in the Last Days there would be many secret combinations. Isaiah says that men involved in secret sin would ask, "Who seeth us and who knoweth us?" Instead of trying to hide our sins from God, God commands us that we bring them to light and confess them and forsake them.

Ether 8:19 For the Lord worketh not in secretcombinations, neither doth he will that man should shed blood, but in all things hath forbidden it, fromthebeginning of man.

Now, there is much more we can learn from the first sin. Another lesson focuses on Eve. Like Eve, most of us don't go around seeking to sin and hide it from God who we know knows and sees all things. However, the serpent is very crafty in fooling or beguiling Eve. Satan explains to Eve that God knows all things and to be like God, she too needs to know sin in order to be like God. While the dilemma is a real one, the solution was a suttle trap to get Adam Eve to partake of the tree of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil and then go ahead and partake of the tree of life and "live forever in their sins." Eve wasn't "awake" to the possibility that Satan could have ulterior and evil intentions. To her, I'm sure she was very trusting and naive and while her decision to partake of the fruit was based on good intentions, Eve failed to recognize and understand that Satan was evil and had only evil intentions.

Today, we need to be "awake" to the reality of evil and conspiring men in the Last Days. One of Satan's biggest tools is to identify real social problems and instead of providing real solutions, many secret societies solutions end up making things much worse. I suppose this continual attempt to address real or created social problems could be likened to Satan telling Adam and Eve to cover their nakedness with fig leaves. Today, many secret organizations who may not have the best intentions often seek to shroud their sins behind the facade of philanthropy.

Again, In addition to being "awake" to the reality of conspiring men in the Last Days, I think another of many important lessons of the forbidden fruit is that we must take care who we follow. Not everyone claiming to offer truth is deserving of our allegiance. One way to differentiate good vs. evil is to determine, despite the many good things a group claims to do for society, whether they use those activities to justify and cover up other sins.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

The Bible tells an interesting story of the people after the Flood in Babylon. After God had reestablished his covenant with Noah, it didn't take the people long to back-slide into apostasy and sin. Most people think that the story of the Tower of Babel is all about the people building the tower to get to heaven. The tower itself was not really the problem.

The real problem with the situation surrounding the tower of Babel is that God said that people were one, and had one language and their religion, politics, and economy was dominated by evil. Therefore, the answer to this problem was for God to confound the languages and divide up the people to prevent Satan and his evil government from having total control of the people.

From the Book of Mormon we learn that if Christ could be our King, it would be good to have a King, but since we cannot guarantee that a righteous man could always be our king, the Bible and the Book of Mormon warn us that all political, and economic power needs to be divided and delegated locally and at the individual level. This is the great principal upon which the Constitution of the United States is based. The Constitution only permits the Federal Government those rights expressly enumerated. All other rights remain with the States and with the individuals and can be taken back at any time.

Therefore, when it come to solving our political and social problems, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer. And the Gospel of Christ in the Bible reminds us that that in our current fallen state, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Therefore the answer to corrupt Big Business and Big Banks is not Bigger Government. The answer to the corruption is to do what God did to the people at the Tower of Babel and do what the US Constitution provides which is to break the consolidation of power up.

Gen 1:1, 6-8 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. . . And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Saturday, May 01, 2010

The Bible presents an interesting pattern of prophets and apostasy. First we see God establishing His covenant with Adam who is the first man and the first prophet. Things go good for a while but before too long the people of the Earth fall away from the truth and turn to evil. The flood wipes out humanity and only Noah and his family are spared. God then re-established his covenant with Noah who becomes a new dispensation leader and prophet. Things go good again for a while but before long, the people again backslide at the time of the Tower of Babel. Then we read about Abraham who is born in Ur and recognizes that he is born into an apostate and idolatrous culture. God calls Abraham as a prophet and a dispensation leader. Again, things go well for a while for Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim until the House of Israel falls away yet again and falls into slavery. Then God called Moses who led Israel out of Egypt. The House of Israel is faithful for a while until they eventually fall away from the truth and are conquered by Assyria, then Babylon, and then finally Rome. Then God sends His Son Jesus Christ. The Jews had turned from the truth to such an extent most didn't recognize their own God that they were to be worshiping for the past 1000 years.

Jesus Christ established his church with 12 Apostles, Seventies, Bishops, Elders, and Deacons. But just as the Bible pattern describes, Paul told us in 2 Thessalonians, that Christ would not come again until there would be yet another falling away and apostasy. And Peter in Acts 2 tells us that the heavens would receive until the time of refreshing and "restitution of all things which has been spoken of by the mouth of all the holy prophets since the world began."

Just as all the holy prophets have prophesied and as the Bible has foretold and foreshadowed, the physical Church of Jesus Christ fell into apostasy and the priesthood authority and keys were lost from the Earth for a time leading into the Dark Ages. Then just as all the prophets have prophesied, the Lord God again, for the last time, in this the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times has called a prophet, restored his church, restored the keys of His Holy Priesthood, restored the temple, restored the exact doctrines of His gospel and re-established his covenant with man.

The prophet of this last and final dispensation before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and His Millennial Reign on the Earth is Joseph Smith. God called Joseph Smith in the same way that all prophets have been called. Joseph Smith didn't attend any divinity school, he didn't earn any degree in New Testament and Early Christian Studies. Joseph Smith wasn't a Pharisee or Sadducee. But God revealed himself to Joseph Smith and authorized him to bring to light additional scripture including the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price, and empowered Joseph Smith to restore the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which is organized just as Christ's original Church with 12 Apostles, Seventies, Bishops (Eklectikos), Elders (Presbyters), and Deacons (Diaconos).